We had a busy weekend! On Saturday we went on a church picnic with a friend of ours, Joshua (he lets us use his office and computer all the time, he's really great!). We got to play some more Nigerian Futball, something that everyone here seems to have an intense passion and knack for. While we were playing, I scored a goal. I was pretty excited about this accomplishment, especially since the ground was wet and slick, and we were playing with Nigerians! None the less, it was necessary to blog about the event!
Secondly...we attended a traditional wedding celebration. One of the pastor's at the clinic, Pastor Thomas, had a daughter who was getting married. Jon and I were pretty tired from the soccer match and we decided that we were going to only go for an hour. The wedding was supposed to start at 11 AM and people were carpooling from the clinic at 9AM to get there. By the time we got back from the picnic and decided to go it was 1:45PM, and were worried that we would miss it. We decided that we would at least go and try to witness/participate in the reception, assumming we would be late. Alas, when we arrived at 2:15 PM, the scheduled 11:00 AM wedding had yet to begin. So, we waited, sitting underneath a canopy outside, in the cold (relative term) and wind. Finally, around 4:15 PM, the traditional ceremony had begun. The bright colors and dancing were fantastic. It's definately entertaining and exciting. They do a dance with the bride and her 30 or so bridesmaids (if that's what they were), then they do one with the bride alone, and the parent's of the bride and groom alone. This dance is not a slow dance, but a high paced, beat-enthrolled dance. While the people are dancing guests get up, walk up to the people dancing and throw/stick money at/on them. Then we got our dinner, as we were getting ready to leave. So, we left with our package of chicken and rice, and finally arrived home after 6PM, not having stayed for a majority of the ceremony. I learned that I'm much less patient than I had thought I was. But, the experience is once in a lifetime, and worth it!
Love you and miss you all!
Kristen and Jon Paul
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2 comments:
Hi Kristen and Jon Paul,
I live in Fargo, North Dakota - Helen Goodfellow told me about your blog, and I am loving keeping up with you!
The people of Plymouth Church in Fargo will be praying for you and your community in Nigeria, and if there are specific prayers you'd ever like lifted up, we are happy to do it!
Keep telling your story - we're listening, praying, and sending love to you!
Blessings,
Aaron Roberts
Hi Guys!
I'm so glad to hear you both have been enjoying your time in Nigeria. It's very cool that you guys get to learn so much about another culture, work hard, and have fun too.
Please keep posting so I have something to think about during staff meetings. At our last one we talked about the dress code and sexual harassment policies, so yours sounds much more interesting! :)
Kristen Welton (that still looks weird...)
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